


The Magical Mystery of the Nightly Visitor

by Kateli, Vixen13



Series: Diagnosis: Demons [1]
Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Magic, Anal Sex, Demons, Fantasy, Fluff and Smut, Invisible sex, M/M, Masturbation, Mystery, Oral Sex, dubcon, magic grad student Guang-Hong, tentacle monster but not
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-30
Updated: 2018-05-04
Packaged: 2019-04-30 01:21:19
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 16,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14485686
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kateli/pseuds/Kateli, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vixen13/pseuds/Vixen13
Summary: It began when Guang-Hong was tagged with a mysterious magical symbol, and then it happened every night: the feeling of sticky, thick molasses crawling over his skin, invisible, bringing him to quick release like he was a teenager again. Frightened and without a clue as to what was happening to him, Guang-Hong travels far and wide to find a solution.But as months pass of living with this strange condition, Guang-Hong begins to suspect that he is not the only person who is suffering from this curse.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was probably the hardest fic I’ve ever had to tag in my life because there are no proper words for what goes down in this story. XD
> 
> This is for Bing 3 of LLYBB. The prompts were Tag, Molasses, Romance, Fantasy, and we did them all! \o/ In honor of the prompt, we wrote this by tagging each other out. It was super fun and I recommend trying it at least once with a friend! ^.^
> 
> Please note the dubcon, as communication is impossible at the start of this fic.

Guang-Hong slid the chalk along the blackboard, concentrating hard to keep his hands from trembling with nerves. In a bit of a daze, he reviewed the list he’d made.

_Caperspice_

_Roundverm_

_Quill of a Grude_

_Mosquito Paste_

Was he forgetting something?

Oh yes, _Meddlebloom._

He coughed to cover up his blunder, hoping that no one noticed, and took a deep breath.

He just had to suffer through this hour, and he’d be that much closer to becoming a Master of Potions, free to develop concoctions of his own that would better the world.

Despite his zeal, he admittedly did not have the command it took to teach a class, so giving this presentation as part of his graduate program was nerve-wracking indeed. The presentation had been open to the public, and since he went to the International School of Higher Magic, it tended to draw quite the crowd. The added attention did nothing for his nerves, but he was able to smooth them down and explain the effects of this particular brew with all of its interesting little quirks. If the mosquitoes had empty bellies, it was lethal, but other than that it was a perfect potion for increasing blood volume and regulating blood flow in trauma patients.

“For this reason, I would recommend making your own mosquito paste to guarantee quality. They will eat from a basic blood potion easily if you don’t want to feed them yourself. Nobody likes to be itchy!”

The crowd was merciful and acted appropriately amused at his commentary. Their good-natured laughter settled him into his lecture for the rest of the hour. Magically he’d managed to make it through without any additional bumbling and he’d been thrilled to have a few people come up to him afterward and let him know what a good job he’d done. He beamed at them, always a sucker for praise. It felt incredible.

As he cleared his worktable of its flasks and beakers, he noticed a tall man with dark hair awkwardly lingering towards the back, near the doors. Almost everyone had shuffled out of the hall when he approached. The stranger had many things to say about how nice it must be to go to such a prestigious school and how Guang-Hong must have plenty of friends from various departments with whom he could share his work. Guang-Hong happily agreed, encouraging the man to apply to the school if that was something he was interested in. He didn’t realize at the time what a mistake he had made by giving away so much information.

The stranger shook his hand, but instead of letting go, his grip turned into a vice, his other hand wrapping around Guang-Hong’s wrist like a steel trap. He spoke words in some unknown, complicated language, and Guang-Hong’s wrist burned with the power of something sinking into his skin. He hissed in pain.

“I’m sorry,” the stranger said, looking afraid and desperate all at once, his grey-blue eyes intense as they locked with Guang-Hong’s. “I just got married. I can’t do this anymore. I want a family and a normal life.”

Before Guang-Hong could respond, the man turned and fled the room. On the inside of Guang-Hong’s wrist was a strange symbol wrapped in a thick bordered circle. He’d never seen anything like it in his life.

His entire world changed from that day on.

 

~*~

 

The first time it happened, Guang-Hong awoke from his sleep after an intense wet dream, the aftereffects of his orgasm still coursing through his veins. He reached down into his underwear only to find it clean. A dry orgasm? That was rare. And why did he feel slimy and sticky down there?

Surfacing more into consciousness, he began to register the feeling of something crawling across his skin, thick as molasses. Sucking in air, Guang-Hong sat up to throw off the covers, rubbing his eyes and trying to see what was happening. But there was nothing to see. The sensation oozed across his body and down his arm, until it dissipated at his wrist—the wrist with the symbol.

He was wide awake for a long time after that, heart pounding. Was it just a weird dream? Could be. It wouldn’t be the first time a bad nightmare had woken him up; maybe the creepy feeling of it remained until he woke fully. He tried to push the memory of the weird dream from his head, hoping to move on from this the next day.

That was easier said than done. It kept happening. He’d never had so many wet dreams in his life. It was _embarrassing._ He wasn’t some hormonal teenager! Something felt wrong about the whole thing. Sometimes he would sleep through the night, but other times…

Other times he’d wake to the feeling of something slowly rolling over his skin. It wrapped around him in disturbing ways, a long slithering line of it undulating across his body like a sticky, gelatinous worm. It left him with the creeps all day, jumping at the slightest little thing that touched him (like his own shirt collar). When he had a dream about being a blushing anime character wrapped up in a tentacle monster, he decided that enough was enough.

Perhaps it was a medical problem. He told the school nurse about the symbol he’d been tagged with, but she couldn’t see it. Hell, she couldn’t even _detect_ it. It registered on none of the basic magical infection tests. He attempted to draw it in order to show her what it was, but his art skills were absolutely not up to the task for such a complicated symbol.

The nurse frowned at his attempts and shook her head, telling him in a placating tone that magic was symmetrical and what he was describing wasn’t. As far as she was concerned, the symbol didn’t exist. She declared that he was stressed from overworking (hardly uncommon for a  graduate student) and prescribed more rest. Too bad the situation was greatly affecting his ability to sleep...

Unsatisfied with the nurse’s assessment, but too mortified to talk to his professors about it, Guang-Hong sought advice from his friends. That went over terribly. Even Minami was unsympathetic. They all just told him to get laid. They didn’t seem to understand that he _was_ getting laid. Every night. By some goopy invisible _thing_ in his sleep.

Thoroughly disturbed by the symbol on his wrist and the fact that nobody believed his predicament, Guang-Hong decided to start documenting things properly like the good student he was. Energy drink in one hand and stop watch in the other, he stayed up all night waiting to catch the experience in action.

Around 3 am, the symbol began to tickle. He hit the stop watch. From there, something unseen oozed from the source, pouring a long trail up his arm. It was freaky and _not at all okay._ Guang-Hong stuck his arm out away from his torso and leaned back like he could gain distance from his own limb.

The slithering movement paused and then carefully began to spread over more of his skin. It trickled down his side, gripped at his hips, and then slid bit by bit to his groin. He wasn’t sure exactly when he’d started making such a high pitched noise, but when the _thing_ touched his dick, it reached new decibels. Guang-Hong hopped out of bed, shouting and shaking himself, slapping at his own skin, to try and get it off.

The invisible _something_ crawled incrementally faster back into the spot on his wrist and disappeared. It was useless to try to touch it. Nothing was there. But it couldn’t just be Guang-Hong’s imagination!

There was a knock on Guang-Hong’s bedroom door. With a deep breath, he shook his limbs to get rid of the weird lingering sensations before opening the door. Minami, dressed in pajamas and hair a mess, stared at him with wide eyes and a furrowed brow.

“Hey, are you okay? Is there something wrong?” Minami scrubbed sleep from his eyes as they wandered from head to toe, checking to see that Guang-Hong was alright.

“No! Nothing wrong!” Guang-Hong answered too abruptly. He needed to come up with an explanation for all the noise he had been making.

“Are you… alone?” Minami asked, attempting to peer around Guang-Hong and into the room.

“Yup, it’s just me!” Guang-Hong said, opening the door wider as proof.

“Does this have to do with…” Minami’s eyes grew wider as the realization hit him. “Jeez, Guang-Hong! If you were– were _masturbating,_ you could at least keep it down!”

Guang-Hong groaned, rubbing his hand across his face in exasperation. “Minami, I told you already. There’s some kind of curse or spell on me or something. I can’t help it. I was trying to test a theory–”

“Whatever, just keep it down! I’m not judging you, I just don’t want to have to hear it.”

With that, Minami spun on his heel and went back to his room, shutting the door behind him. Guang-Hong didn’t miss the implied message that Minami was sending by cranking up his sound machine, clearly heard through their shared wall.

Guang-Hong sighed dejectedly. He could care less if Minami were to judge him. He only wanted to be believed.

After documenting everything, it took a long time for Guang-Hong to fall asleep. And of course he had another wet dream during the night. Eventually, Guang-Hong realized that nothing he tried to do to fix his condition was working. He was a potions major and had a lot of tools at his disposal, but no matter what he tried, nothing worked. Not a single friend in any other department could even detect the symbol burned into his skin, much less the problem that accompanied it.

It was an odd thing to get used to, occasionally waking up to some invisible molasses monster pleasuring him, but what other choice did he have than to try to remain calm while it went through the motions? If this had been happening to the person that shook his hand that fateful day, he could understand why he had wanted to pass it off to someone else.

Guang-Hong supposed that he could pass it on as well. He could perform a simple memory spell, write down the words that the man had said, and use it to tag someone else. But Guang-Hong would never do that. He wasn’t so cruel as to give this curse to someone else just to relieve himself. No, he’d keep it until he found a way to fix the problem. All magic had a beginning and an end. He just needed to find the end to this.

For now, Guang-Hong tried to stay positive. Getting off every night could help his stress levels if he got over the mysterious source of his pleasure. Once he realized that it never tried to hurt him and it didn’t affect his heath, he even slept better after each orgasm. After a few weeks, the invisible thing even began to mimic his movements when Guang-Hong would join in by touching himself. At the end of the day, he could even admit that it was good sex. Creepy invisible jelly tentacle monster sex caused by a curse burned into his skin that nobody else could see, but... yeah. Good sex.

Whatever. If grad school hadn’t killed him, neither would this weird wet dream curse. He was far more terrified of Professor Lilia than he was of whatever was happening in his dreams.

But while Guang-Hong found himself far more physically satisfied than he could ever recall being, his invisibly oozing companion was apparently looking to take their relationship (or whatever this situation could be called) to the next level. Guang-Hong discovered this after falling asleep on his stomach and waking up to the feeling of a tentacle-like appendage tracing the cleft of his ass and nudging experimentally at his entrance.

“NO!” Guang-Hong shouted, the half-asleep haze dissipating in record time. He jumped from his bed and pushed his back against the wall on the far side of the room. Of course, the Goop (as he had affectionately come to calling it in his mind) came with him, attached as it seemed to be to the symbol burned into Guang-Hong’s wrist. Apparently it got the picture, however, and retreated back to his arm, tentatively caressing his shoulder. “Not– not there, okay? Sorry, I’m just… I’m not ready for that.”

He chuckled to himself. Here he was apologizing to an invisible wet dream monster that he didn’t even have evidence wasn’t just his own mind taking a tail dive. His giggles reached a level of shrillness beyond his control, and he found himself supporting his weight only by the wall behind him. He felt the Goop slide down and wrap around his ribcage in some semblance of a hug, absorbing the vibrations from his laughter.

Guang-Hong ended up sprawled across the floor, as the Goop slid tenderly over his skin, working his cock so slowly and calmly that by the time Guang-Hong came, he felt boneless. He woke up a few hours later, stiff and sore from his nap on the floor. Wincing, he made his way back to his bed.

The next night, the Goop tried another new tactic. He was up later than usual, finishing up some research when the symbol on his wrist buzzed to life and his unseeable lover seeped out and sent chills down his spine. Guang-Hong still had some work to finish, but he wouldn’t mind taking a break to relax.

But this time, instead of following the usual path up Guang-Hong’s arm, the Goop spread over his hand, experimentally coaxing the fingers to flex, the wrist to stretch. Guang-Hong watched in horror as his hand moved of its own accord, lifting from his book and wrapping fingers around the knob of his desk drawer to pull it open. From there, the Goop stretched itself, descending into the dark recesses of the drawer, while maintaining tenuous contact with Guang-Hong’s fingertips.

Guang-Hong had a terrible feeling that he knew that it was looking for. Those suspicions were confirmed when his dildo appeared, floating and vibrating before his eyes. He covered his mouth with both hands to contain his shriek, eyes wide. He was horrified, heart pumping hard enough to make him short of breath, yet he could feel his cock engorging rapidly at the sight. Before anything could be done, however, the dildo sparked and seemed to cave in on itself, melting into a puddle onto the book that was still open on Guang-Hong’s desk.

“Goop! What have you done?” Guang-Hong hissed, more upset by the ruination of the book than the fact that his dildo had been hovering in the air just moments ago. “How am I supposed to explain this to the library?”

He felt the Goop absorb directly back into his wrist and go silent once more.

The Goop didn’t appear the next night. Guang-Hong waited, the need to apologize weighing him down throughout the day. By the next day, his wrist was terribly itchy, but even later that night, at the usual time, there was no sign of his ethereal sex visitor.

On the third Goop-less night, Guang-Hong felt like his wrist was crawling with fire ants, and on top of that, he felt a restless worry. “Where are you?” he asked his darkened bedroom, tapping at his wrist. “I know you’re still in there, I can feel you.”

He sighed, checking the time. It should have emerged by now. Seems it wasn’t going to join him tonight. Well, if his occult paramour didn’t want him anymore, that didn’t mean he couldn’t get off on his own. Guang-Hong closed his eyes, imagining the feeling of the Goop slipping across his skin. He started at his chest, drawing his hand down the middle and then back up to swipe delicately across his nipples.

It wasn’t the same; his fingers were too substantial, too _real._ He wanted an unprovable touch that scared him and thrilled him all at once. He brushed his fingers further down, bringing his other hand with it to lightly trace at the symbol on his wrist, a summons. With a shaky breath, Guang-Hong encircled his cock with his hand, slowly coaxing it to hardness, his other fingers all the while dancing along the lines burned into his wrist.

He moved his fist deliberately, attempting to mimic the impossible torture of an invisible substance rubbing him. Suddenly, he felt a faint stirring, the fire ants dispersing and replaced with the smooth, silken glide of Guang-Hong’s familiar nightly caller. His breath hitched, and he almost came just from the relief of its presence. But he held it together, pausing while the Goop seemed to hover uncertainly at his wrist.

“I’m not mad at you,” Guang-Hong whispered. “Please, stay close to me.”

The Goop sluggishly spread from his wrist to his hands, first the one that had been jerking, and then up through the fingers that had been mapping the symbol. Guang-Hong waited for the Goop to make a move, as it had with his desk drawer, but it only clutched around his hands, motionless.

Guang-Hong returned his hand to his cock, bringing it back to full hardness, stroking up and down, occasionally twisting his palm up to the head and spreading the gathering precome. He felt the Goop on his other hand pulse, and then his hand began to move, the Goop slowly directing it around to his backside. It paused. With a deep breath, Guang-Hong moved the rest of the way, stroking a finger around his entrance before slowly pressing inside. The Goop followed, slicking his entrance like built-in lube, and Guang-Hong shuddered, pausing his ministrations to take a deep breath, acclimating to the very foreign feeling.

The Goop pressed in further, a strange, slimy fullness stretching Guang-Hong deeper than his fingers could reach. He retracted his finger, instead allowing the Goop to explore him there, slithering across the walls of his passage in a way that made Guang-Hong writhe. It was unlike anything he had ever felt before, and it was incredible.

It went on like this for a few minutes, the Goop experimentally stretching and stroking from the inside while Guang-Hong weakly continued to jerk himself. Until he felt a shift as the Goop coalesced inside him into something more tangible, like a tentacle or a very long tongue. It withdrew slowly, rubbing against his walls and over his prostate, sending a shower of stars to fly behind Guang-Hong’s eyelids. Then, once it pulled past his entrance, it wasted no time thrusting back in with a force that the Goop had never before exhibited. Guang-Hong cried out, his hand falling from his cock and turning to grip the sheets of his bed.

The Goop continued this pattern: slowly withdrawing, rubbing along every millimeter of Guang-Hong before impaling him once more. Meanwhile, the Goop wrapped around his cock, stroking in an imitation of how Guang-Hong had been touching himself earlier, when he still had some semblance of control. The dual sensations were driving him mad.

This was so different from any previous partner who had fucked him before. He’d never known anyone to focus so much attention on pulling out, to take things so slowly, but the contrast with the sudden rough thrusts brought tears to his eyes and wrung moans from his throat. It was getting to be too much and yet not enough.

“N-need–” he tried, voice shaking. He tried to steady himself with a deep breath as the Goop pulled out once more. “Faster? Please, faster!” He groaned once he was left empty.

The Goop must have heard him, because suddenly its entire demeanor changed, sheathing itself deep inside and then immediately pulling back out. It continued like a battering ram, simultaneously pressing against his prostate and thrusting deeper than ever before. It wasn’t long before this treatment had Guang-Hong spilling his orgasm all over himself, but as usual, when the Goop returned to his wrist and Guang-Hong finally opened his eyes, he was completely clean, with no evidence of his orgasm or the unbelievable fucking at all.

Lying there boneless and recovering, Guang-Hong couldn’t help but think about how very _not_ in his head it all was. It had to be real. There was no way he could have imagined _that_ on his own. More than that, he was getting addicted. Since when was he disappointed at not feeling some slimy substance sliding over his skin and fucking him? He dropped his hands over his face and groaned. Something needed to be done.

A man on a mission, Guang-Hong climbed the ladder of experts until he managed to get an appointment with the Head Witch of the city. She was well-versed in even the most obscure of curses. She heard him out and ran a battery of tests. Unlike everyone else, she did find something, but not what Guang-Hong wanted to hear.

“Your magical energy is higher than what I am seeing from you in the past when I scry. This is mostly a good thing as it can help you with spell casting, but you do not have a talent for casting.”

“No, I’m majoring in potions.”

She hummed at that before picking up a handful of blood red rose petals that looked as if they were faintly glowing with some inner light. She tossed them into the air and every last one ended up clinging to Guang-Hong. He blinked, looking at the little petals as he moved his arms around and they stayed in place.

“I see,” she said.

He looked up at her with the hope that he’d finally get an answer. “What does it mean?”

“Since you cannot cast, your magical energy is staying contained within you. In very rare cases, it can link itself with a part of your body or an emotion, causing a variety of outcomes. Yours has combined with your sex drive.”

“What…”

“Simply put, you have nymphomania.”

“What?!” Guang-Hong started batting at the flower petals to get them off. “What about the tag on my wrist? And the Goop!”

“A hallucination caused by your condition.”

“I didn’t hallucinate my vibrator melting!” He’d almost died having to explain that story to her.

“Likely a failed casting of magic. That may happen in the future as well. Make sure to stay aware of your body from now on.”

Guang-Hong spent the next month having mind-blowing sex with the Goop, followed by bouts of staring at the ceiling, lamenting his condition. Eventually, he pulled himself out of his funk and tried to live his life. Out of all the magical ailments and mishaps in the world, his was certainly not the worst.

In his less charitable moments, he was still pretty miffed. He just _knew_ there was something more to this. Otherwise, why would that person have said that to him after his lecture? _“I can’t do this anymore. I want a family and a normal life.”_ It was too much of a coincidence that this interaction with this stranger happened the day before Guang-Hong’s not-so-wet dreams began. And how was all of his semen disappearing?

The only other explanation would be some kind of punishment, but Guang-Hong could have sworn he’d never seen that man before. It would make sense for him to pass on the curse given what he had said, though. It was hard to imagine a family man who got fucked by an invisible sex monster every night, and who probably seemed to be going insane (assuming as many people believed him as believed Guang-Hong, meaning _none)._

As much as he wished he could devote his days to answering that question, he was still a grad student with a thesis to complete. Putting his predicament on the back burner, he buried himself in his work and tried to put it all from his mind. Whether magical nymphomania or invisible tentacle monster, he wouldn’t let this stop him from achieving his dreams.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really excited about this chapter! \o/

It was late at night and Guang-Hong was pulling an all-nighter to get his project finished. His eyes burned and his stomach gurgled from one-too-many energy drinks. The cauldron in front of him burbled away on its burner, seemingly unrepentant at how much of a pain in the ass it was being. Guang-Hong sighed and reached for his stash of crushed zinnia root while squinting at his notes.

“Fifteen milliliters of zinnia,” he murmured to himself, pulling over his measuring cup.

He felt a sudden warmth on his wrist before the bottle in his hand went flying, as if it had been punched from his fingers. It landed on the floor and rolled under his desk. The feeling of the Goop settled onto his skin and squeezed one of his fingers. He blinked at it. What the hell had just happened?

“When the Head Witch said random bursts of casting, I didn’t think she meant throwing stuff across the room for no reason,” he complained to himself as he got out of his chair and went to hunt down the bottle.

When he managed to find it and pick it up, the Goop squeezed his fingers a little harder. Guang-Hong blinked and looked down at the container, wondering why the Goop was so adverse to it. That was when he noticed the label. It wasn’t zinnia root he was holding, it was zinc. Highly volatile zinc that would have caused quite the eruption if he’d dumped 15mL into the cauldron at once.

Guang-Hong’s fingers rubbed against the feeling of the Goop and it rubbed back. It had just saved him from major injury. More importantly, Guang-Hong couldn’t possibly have known that he held the wrong bottle if he honestly believed that he had picked up the correct one. It couldn’t have been _his_ magical impulse throwing things around.

He plopped down onto his chair and stared at his hand. Could he communicate with it? It wasn’t the first time he’d spoken to it and for it to respond, but that was working under the assumption that he was ultimately controlling it subconsciously. But if he wasn’t… that meant it had sentience.

“You saved me,” Guang-Hong said out loud, only a little awkward about talking to himself. “Can you… understand me?” The Goop squeezed his fingers, but it always did that when he talked, so… “Tap twice for yes.”

There was a pause then the feeling of the Goop lifting into the air and plopping back onto his skin. Guang-Hong held his breath. Once more, it lifted and then tapped again. A thrill of excitement shot straight up his spine. They could communicate! It was communicating!

The alarm on his phone buzzed, distracting him. “Shit!” He had to add in the ingredients within fifteen seconds. He quickly grabbed the right bottle, measured it out, and then dumped it in and stirred. By the time he was done, the Goop had retreated back into his wrist. That was okay. He had a potion to finish. Tomorrow he’d have time to try and talk to the Goop more. In the meantime, this was a wonderful breakthrough.

 

~*~

 

Guang-Hong pinned his posterboard of carefully sharpied morse code letters onto the wall. Grabbing his notebook and a pen, he sat cross-legged on his bed facing the poster and got comfortable. It was time to try to communicate!

He tapped the mark on his wrist. “Anybody home?”

It took a few moments but the Goop slowly eased out onto his skin, curling around his wrist but going no further. He held his hand up and vaguely pointed the Goop at the poster. “Can you see that?”

A long pause and then two taps. Guang-Hong grinned. “Do you think you can squeeze those letters in that pattern and answer a few questions?”

There was another pause, and Guang-Hong imagined it was as if the Goop was confused as to why Guang-Hong was trying so hard to communicate instead of just yelling at it or trying to get rid of it. Poor Goop probably hadn’t had anyone try to understand what was happening. They just freaked out and began to hate it, like Guang-Hong had initially reacted. That made Guang-Hong feel sad and more than a little guilty.

“I just want to get a sense of what’s going on,” Guang-Hong promised. “We can take it slow.”

_Tap. Tap._

A bright smile spread across his face. The researcher in him was excited to finally get some concrete answers. “Do you have a name?”

It took some time to get the hang of it. The Goop wasn’t consistent in its squeezes, as if it struggled to control the sticky tendril in the way it wanted. Guang-Hong had to clarify the letters a few times, but they finally got it down. He stared at the page in his lap in amazement.

“Leo! Your name’s Leo!”

Leo wound itself through Guang-Hong’s fingers like it was happy to finally be acknowledged. Guang-Hong grinned and wiggled his digits in return, just as excited to finally be able to communicate with _Leo_. Now onto the important questions!

“Why do you… you know… do the stuff you do… at night?” Well, _that_ was far more embarrassing to say out loud than he’d expected.

Leo shrank back a bit, retreating further into Guang-Hong’s wrist. “No no no! Wait! I’m not mad. I just need to know.”

After a hesitant moment of consideration, Leo wrapped firmly around his wrist and began to squeeze the letters. Guang-Hong diligently recorded it and translated. He blinked at the word on his paper: food.

“Food? Are you getting sustenance from sex?”

 _Tap. Tap._ So that was a yes.

“Was that why you were so weak and my mark itched when you stopped for two days?”

_Tap. Tap._

“Are you attached to the symbol on my wrist?”

_Tap. Tap._

“I want to ask you why and how and if there’s a way to end the spell and if so, what will happen to you… But those are all too complicated to answer probably.” Guang-Hong chewed at his bottom lip and made some notes for himself. “Okay, rephrase, if the spell ended and you weren’t attached to me or anyone else, would it hurt you?”

Instead of tapping, Leo squeezed the word “dunno” against Guang-Hong’s wrist. Something about seeing the slang word amused Guang-Hong.

“Were you able to do things on your own before getting attached to the symbol?”

_Tap. Tap._

“So you’ve just been trapped?” he asked, already upset at the thought of it.

_Tap. Tap._

That just about broke Guang-Hong’s heart. It sounded so awful. Nobody deserved that, especially when Leo had no choice but to gain sustenance from the person he was stuck to without their consent. “Don’t worry, Leo. I’ll find a way to get you out. It may take me awhile, but I won’t give up!”

Leo spiraled up Guang-Hong’s arm and squeezed. For the first time in a long time, Leo had someone willing to help.

 

~*~

 

Guang-Hong was engrossed in one of the only resources he could find on campus about sex magic. The only reference to sex being used as a source of food was in regards to demons, specifically an incubus or succubus. But all demons formed contracts before feeding off of humans or doing a task for them. That was really to protect both parties. Sex demons tended to make short contracts, a day to a week, and they were fully corporeal entities.

It may not answer his question, but it was a lead. Perhaps if he could convince a summoner to call a demo, Guang-Hong could ask some questions, see if they knew anything about the symbol. Of course, that would mean making a contract with the demon as payment for their time and his need for answers. They may not even know anything, and if they didn’t, Guang-Hong would still have to fulfill his end of the bargain.

He blushed at the thought of it. He’d never been one to enjoy the thought of sex with strangers. He’d rather get to know a person first. And honestly, the only person Guang-Hong had any interest in at the moment was Leo. He was aware that likely seemed strange, maybe even unfair. Leo was only around because he had to be. Maybe he’d leave once the spell was broken. It was his choice and Guang-Hong wouldn’t beg Leo to stay, but… Guang-Hong didn’t want Leo to go.

The mark buzzed and poked Guang-Hong just the slightest bit, making him jump. He looked at the time and realized he was about to be late to class. “Oh no! Thanks, Leo.” That earned him a tiny caress as Guang-Hong gathered up his things and ran from the library.

Leo did little things like that a lot lately. If Guang-Hong was feeling stressed or nervous, Leo would pop out and squeeze his wrist or wind through his fingers. During boring lectures, Leo would poke Guang-Hong awake in case he needed to know something or write something down or answer a question. It was like they were friends. Well… friends with benefits.

Speaking of benefits, Guang-Hong felt like he was constantly taking and not giving at all, something he wouldn’t normally allow for in a relationship. Sure, Leo needed to eat, but there was a difference between eating to survive and enjoying the meal. That was to say, Guang-Hong wanted to return the favor. So one night before they got started, Guang-Hong asked.

“Hey, Leo…”

Leo squeezed Guang-Hong’s shoulders from where he was draped across them.

“Is there something I can do to… I mean… I want you to enjoy it, too, you know? What’s something that you like? I can’t really touch you… But I thought maybe there was something you’d prefer.”

Leo considered that and Guang-Hong waited in nervous anticipation, his mind flying to all sorts of answers about lewd positions or terrifying kinks. He’d be willing to try, but he still worried about what kind of answer a sex monster would give. So it came as quite a shock when Leo spelled out the word “music.”

“Music?” Guang-Hong excitedly grabbed his phone and opened the proper app. “Do you have a favorite genre?”

 _No,_ Leo tapped.

“Well, I’m sure you have favorite songs! What do you want to listen to? I mean, you can scroll through my phone if you want, just wrap around my hand.”

 _Can’t,_ he squeezed.

“You can’t? Why not?”

_Burn._

Guang-Hong remembered his dildo lighting on fire and melting onto his library book. “Oh! Does that happen to all electronics?”

_Yes._

“Damn… Well, don’t worry. I’ll play a bunch of stuff and you can just tell me if there’s ever anything you don’t like.”

It turned out that there wasn’t much that Leo didn’t like. He really did just enjoy all music. It was nice having someone around that Guang-Hong could share his music tastes with. Though he did try to keep things more… _appropriate_ when they did things at night. It helped to set the mood and sometimes Leo would move in time to the beat.

Guang-Hong was quite certain that he’d never be satisfied with normal sex again.

 

~*~

 

It had been a long day. Guang-Hong had an advisement meeting with Professor Baranovskaya and things hadn’t gone well. She had berated him for being low-energy in class and sloppy on his lab reports. She remarked that the progress he had made on his own project was “barely satisfactory”, which Guang-Hong had accepted as a small victory. But by the time he got home, he felt tired and defeated.

After a quick dinner and short conversation with his roommate, Guang-Hong retreated to his bedroom and connected his phone to his bluetooth speaker before carefully choosing a playlist. He’d been trying something different every day to find something that Leo would like. It seemed that he liked everything Guang-Hong played. He’d discovered that putting on some music was a sure-fire way to coax Leo out of his wrist. Sometimes Leo would just wrap himself around Guang-Hong’s hand or shoulder, or they’d have a conversation, and sometimes it would lead to more. Usually there would be sex before Guang-Hong went to bed.

He had to admit that he preferred this schedule over being woken up in the middle of the night, although Professor Baranovskaya was right: he still felt like he was losing sleep lately. But he couldn’t even blame it on the sex. Now that he had a better (although still incomplete) understanding of what was happening to him, Guang-Hong’s stress levels had significantly decreased. Except now he was directing that energy toward a more productive and time-consuming endeavor. He needed to find a way to set Leo free.

For now, he changed into comfortable clothes and reclined on his bed, listening to the beginnings of his “self-affirmation playlist,” a collection of songs that simultaneously boosted his confidence while calming him down.

As expected, he felt his wrist tingle as Leo slowly emerged from the symbol there, encasing Guang-Hong’s hand in that now-comfortable feeling of molasses and squeezing supportively.

“Thanks, Leo,” Guang-Hong breathed. He sometimes still felt strange speaking to an apparently empty room, but now that uneasiness was overwhelmed by the feeling of being cared for. He’d never really had someone he could rely on so completely. His past relationships had never lasted long enough to reach a point of total trust like this. He barely knew Leo, because their communication was still so stilted and brief, but their symbiotic cohabitation of his body had made Leo sensitive to Guang-Hong’s needs and he seemed happy to oblige. Guang-Hong was grateful for that.

He relaxed for awhile, with the familiar weight of Leo around his hand, occasionally squeezing or smoothly shifting.

The song changed and Guang-Hong propped himself up on his elbows, looking down toward where Leo invisibly hugged his hand. “Hey, this is one of my favorites,” he said with a smile. “I think you’ll like it, too.”

The voice entered after the piano intro, and Guang-Hong couldn’t help humming along. He felt Leo climb up his arm and to his shoulder, as if to listen more closely to Guang-Hong’s melody. Leo nuzzled against Guang-Hong’s neck, seeming to vibrate imperceptibly.

 _We live in the circle of life._ He glanced down at his wrist.

Once the rap section started, Guang-Hong stopped humming and turned his head toward his shoulder where Leo was perched. He giggled at the feel of him against his cheek and lips, realizing that Leo had never touched his face before. Leo suddenly grew restless, abandoning Guang-Hong’s neck and face to slide down to his chest. He curled up over Guang-Hong’s heart and undulated there for a moment, sending shivers through Guang-Hong’s veins and awakening the heat in his lower abdomen.

He felt a rough prodding against one of his nipples that caused him to let out a frightened squawk and bat at his chest, but his hand met nothing but the slippery thickness of Leo. He relaxed again, remembering how Leo was able to draw himself together as a more solid mass, but until now, he had only done it from within.

“Sorry,” Guang-Hong whispered, “I was just surprised. You can keep going.”

Leo hesitated, then very carefully drew the tip of his… whatever it was lightly in a circle around Guang-Hong’s nipple.

“Please,” Guang-Hong breathed. “I didn’t know you could do that on– on the out-outside. But I like it. Um, a lot.”

Emboldened, Leo redirected his course, adding pressure directly to the hardened nub of Guang-Hong’s nipple. Guang-Hong gasped, his back arching up into Leo’s touch. He dropped back onto the bed and ran his hands down his chest, caressing both himself and Leo’s invisible form. That seemed to encourage Leo, who slid over to give Guang-Hong’s other nipple attention.

It felt like someone was licking at it, with how solid and wet Leo seemed to be. It was nice feeling that in more places occasionally. Guang-Hong enjoyed it when his entire body could receive attention.

“I like it when you touch me… everywhere…” Guang-Hong whispered as Leo slid around, exploring Guang-Hong’s skin. “It’s okay if it’s… too exhausting for you, though.” He didn’t want Leo to think he was being needy or demanding more than Leo was capable of giving.

What he didn’t expect was for Leo to vibrate with excitement. The symbol buzzed and suddenly there were more long tendrils of Leo, and they were _everywhere._ They wrapped around his limbs, caressed up his sides, flicked at his nipples, and ran through his hair. Guang-Hong gasped and writhed at the feeling, his cock rock-hard in an instant. He felt completely consumed by Leo.

“Yes! Please! More!”

The more solid feeling nub at the end of one of Leo’s tendrils pressed at his lips. He opened his mouth immediately, swirling his tongue around it eagerly. It was hard to say if Leo felt that or got anything out of it, but Guang-Hong certainly did. It was almost like they were able to make out, or maybe he was sucking Leo’s cock, or both, neither—it didn’t matter! What mattered was that they were enjoying themselves.

Leo seemed to like the sound of Guang-Hong moaning, judging by how he shoved a little further into his mouth before slowly withdrawing. That happened a few more tentative times, as if to see if Guang-Hong would protest, but he never did. It was by far the easiest blowjob he’d ever given. He didn’t have to worry about his teeth or struggle to breathe, but the sensation of his mouth being full, of Leo sliding along his tongue and never gagging him, felt so amazing.

Guang-Hong reached for his aching cock, but Leo beat him to it. Sticky wet goop wrapped around Guang-Hong’s dick in the way that had his back arching in no time. Leo apparently took that as an invitation, pressing into Guang-Hong’s ass as well. It left Guang-Hong filled from both ends, Leo fucking into him and onto him at a steady pace, lighting up every nerve in his body.

Never before in his life had he ever had sex this amazing. Guang-Hong ran his hands everywhere, trying to caress Leo, but he only ended up touching himself. It was an odd feeling, but a good one. His own fingers mixed with Leo’s tendrils made it feel as if multiple people were worshiping his body.

Guang-Hong tilted his head further back and Leo pressed deeper inside, fucking into Guang-Hong’s throat without any discomfort. Guang-Hong worked his tongue still, enjoying the there but not-there presence of Leo in his mouth. He thrust up into the all encompassing presence wrapped around his dick, and then back down onto the oh-so-deep presence thrusting into his hole.

Orgasm built hot and fierce inside of him, exacerbated by every drag of Leo inside and outside. Guang-Hong whined and writhed on the bed, his own nails digging into his skin. Leo was unrelenting, working over Guang-Hong’s prostate until the edge of orgasm was almost painful with how strong it was. Guang-Hong panted for breath and trembled under the onslaught, loving every second of it.

Falling over the edge left him shouting his release, but he didn’t care. Waves of pleasure rolled over him, but Leo didn’t stop there, just kept going, pushing Guang-Hong further than he thought possible. He choked and moaned and whined, clawing at the sheets and suckling desperately on the full feeling in his mouth. His cock throbbed and twitched as Leo whisked away the cum like he always did.

At long last, Guang-Hong collapsed into a pile of exhaustion on his sheets, chest heaving for air. Leo pulled out of all orifices in a gentle glide that had Guang-Hong shivering. When Leo began to shuffle his way back to the mark, Guang-Hong whined in distress and futilely tried to grab Leo to stop him.

“Wait!”

Leo paused, unsure of exactly what Guang-Hong wanted.

“Stay. Please. I mean… if you can? Can you?”

_Tap. Tap._

Guang-Hong grinned and curled up on his side, wrapping his arms around the feeling of Leo still covering his torso. “I like feeling you around me, too, you know. I like cuddling.”

There was a pause before Leo more solidly wrapped himself around Guang-Hong’s torso and shoulders, a tendril lifting up to nuzzle at one flushed cheek. Guang-Hong hummed in pleasure, a content smile on his face. Leo was the best partner in the world.

“Thank you,” Guang-Hong whispered. “For being here with me.”

Leo felt warm.

 

~*~

 

The symbol on Guang-Hong’s wrist was overly complicated and hard to describe to people. He spent a long time trying again and again to draw it until he at last succeeded—for the most part. Art was not his strong suit. Still, having the symbol in hand made it easier to ask people for help.

The border of the circle looked somewhat like a summoning circle, so he started in the Summoning Department. He tracked down the top student of the class in the library one day. Seung-gil was intimidating, but Leo’s freedom was at stake and Guang-Hong wasn’t about to back down. He marched purposefully over and introduced himself before launching into the explanation of his predicament.

“Marks that cannot be seen or detected are unnatural magic,” Seung-gil explained in a no-nonsense manner. “Humans use natural magic, which is why we can’t see unnatural magic. Both types of magic work on contrary planes of existence. If there’s an undetectable symbol on your wrist, it’s a sign of a demon contract.”

“But I didn’t make a deal with a demon and whatever is stuck in there isn’t corporeal.”

Seung-gil shrugged. “I’m not an expert in unnatural magic. Most people aren’t or can’t be. The only person I know of that’s had the balls to summon a demon is Plisetsky.” He pointed to a blonde man sitting in a quiet corner of the library, far from most of the other students. “Good luck talking to him, though.”

“Thank you.” Guang-Hong took a deep breath and marched up to the other person. He knew who Yuri Plisetsky was. Most people did if only for their own health and safety. Yuri was the kind of person who only liked who he wanted to like and refused to be polite to anyone.

Before Guang-Hong could even introduce himself, Yuri was talking. “Go away.”

Well, this was going great already… Guang-Hong swallowed hard. “No.”

The look Yuri gave was enough to have Guang-Hong shaking in his shoes, but he refused to run. Leo’s life was on the line!

“You got a death wish?”

“I need help.” Guang-Hong slapped the paper onto the table in front of Yuri. “That was put on my wrist against my will and nobody can see it but me.”

Yuri frowned at the paper in front of him. “Did Lee send you over here?”

“Yes.”

“You summon _one_ demon in your life…” Yuri mumbled to himself before picking up a rather fancy highlighter. He clicked it over to the temporarily invisible setting and erased the center of the drawing. Then he clicked it over to a yellow highlight and outlined part of the circle, making it glow.

Once finished, Yuri tapped at the yellow outline. “That’s a summoning circle for a demon.”

“Then what’s the rest of the circle?”

“Overly complicated, low-level magic.” He waved his hand and mumbled the title of a book. Something seen, yet not seen hummed in the air before darting off, making Guang-Hong jump. Yuri rolled his eyes. “It’s easier to send a spirit after it than look through the damn system for one obscure book.”

The book Yuri wanted returned, floating in the air as if on its own and plopped down on the table beside them with a loud smack. Guang-Hong smiled sheepishly at the people who turned to look, but Yuri ignored them all and started flipping through pages. Summoners always gave Guang-Hong the creeps for a reason.

Yuri pointed at something in the book he opened. It was a spell circle as well, but all the symbols in it were completely symmetrical and interwoven inside the circle. “This is a binding circle. It’s used to hold natural items into a form of a summoner’s choosing and keep it that way. It can be instilled with a basic command and doesn’t require babysitting by the summoner.”

“Golems,” Guang-Hong said. He knew that from the basics of magic. Golems could be formed of earth, water, fire, and so on. Usually rock golems were given the command to dig and they would just keep going until the summoner ended the spell. They did a lot of manual labor for building projects.

“Binding magic is natural magic. Golems are made of what is natural on earth. The binding circle changes symbols dependent on the element used to form the golem. It’s super low-level magic. Nobody here studies it.”

“So the other part of the circle on my wrist is a binding circle?”

“It looks like it, except it’s highly intricate. A binding circle of that complexity could hold a golem the size of the school.”

“Could it hold a demon?”

“No.” Yuri clicked his highlighter and the entire symbol on the paper reappeared. He clicked it back to the invisible setting and began erasing the summoning and binding circles. “Demons are unnatural magic. A binding circle only holds natural magic. At best, it would try and warp the demon into something natural, but either the circle would fail or the demon would be ripped apart, depending on the type and power of the demon.”

“So you don’t think it’s a demon?”

“It might be some other unnatural being that was forced into a natural state. There’s a lot we don’t know about unnatural magic.”

Guang-Hong didn’t offer the suggestion of tentacle monster. That was just too private to share with someone like Yuri. “What are you doing now?”

“Trying to erase the circles and the binding lines so I can just see the symbol. All unnatural beings have a symbol. It’s like their name. It holds power over them, which is why demon symbols are invisible to all but those they hold a contract with. Even memory spells won’t be able to see them after the contract ends.”

“You know a lot about demons.”

Yuri shrugged. “It’s best to be prepared before summoning one.”

“So you really made a contract with a demon?”

“No. I didn’t like his terms. Contracts are two-way things that benefit both parties.”

“Oh.”

Yuri’s focused work on the paper abruptly stopped, and he blinked at the page in bafflement. Guang-Hong fidgeted as he stared at the symbol that was left. Yuri furrowed his eyebrows and asked, “Can you see that?”

“Which part do you mean?”

“I mean I can’t see anything on the paper anymore.”

Guang-Hong’s eyes grew wide. “What? Why not? I can see the symbol left after you got rid of the circles.”

Yuri tapped his finger against the table rapid fire. “It’s definitely unnatural magic. It’s either a demon or something of demon equivalence. Is it just the symbol on your wrist or does it do anything? Any extra powers lately?”

Guang-Hong blushed. “Um… I can talk to it. A little. It has a hard time moving, but it can squeeze my hand and stuff. It once stopped me from putting the wrong thing into a potion.”

“Hm…” Yuri thought it over for a while. “Are you trying to get rid of it?”

“I just… I want to break the spell. He’s trapped in there.”

Yuri raised an eyebrow at Guang-Hong but didn’t say anything to that. Instead he clicked his pen and the circles around the symbol popped back into place. Ripping off a scrap of paper from his notebook, Yuri wrote down a name and address.

“I only know one idiot that cares enough to go into advanced binding. Maybe he knows how to end a binding circle of that size. I warn you, Georgi is weird.” Yuri handed over the paper.

Guang-Hong took it with a huge smile, finally feeling like he was getting somewhere. “Thank you so much!”

“By the way…” Yuri’s face went dark. “If it really is a demon trapped in there, it’s not gonna be happy once it gets out.”

 

~*~

 

Georgi Popovich, foremost leader in experimental binding magic, lived far away. Guang-Hong had to focus on finishing his degree prior to seeking the man out. He explained that to Leo, who didn’t seem to be in a rush, just caressed the inside of Guang-Hong’s wrist in an affectionate way. Perhaps they were both a little scared of what they’d discover about ending the spell.

The last month of school was exhausting and so stressful Guang-Hong felt ready to fall apart at any moment. If Leo hadn’t been there, Guang-Hong might not have graduated. Leo was a constant supportive presence, always making sure Guang-Hong was taking care of himself even in the worst of times. Their connection to each other had only grown with each new challenge they faced.

At graduation, the thrill and excitement of receiving his degree and seeing his friends and family all gathered together was only tempered by the thought of Leo being gone soon. Guang-Hong needed to see to Leo’s freedom first and foremost, but it was melancholic, thinking about how that meant he’d wind up alone afterwards.

Still, with focused determination, Guang-Hong took his graduation gift money and planned his trip to Russia to visit the one person who might actually know how to set Leo free.

Shop Popovich was an eclectic home and office on the outskirts of a small town. A large transportation circle stood in the field next to the shop, making it look more official than it appeared at first glance. The lights were on, a welcome sign was hung, and a few potted plants added some color to the entryway.

The front office that Guang-Hong entered was empty, an abandoned front desk, a few chairs, and rows of pamphlets lining the walls were all that could be seen. He walked up to the desk and rang the little bell for service. Silence was the response. Guang-Hong restlessly shifted his weight as his hand hovered over the bell, wondering if it would be rude to ring it again so soon. Leo gave Guang-Hong’s wrist an encouraging squeeze.

Quite abruptly, there was an explosion somewhere else in the house, echoing through the door in the back corner behind the desk. Fearing the worst, Guang-Hong hopped the desk and burst through the door and into a spacious workshop. In the middle of the room was a large cloud of blue powder. A man stumbled out of it, coughing and hacking as he batted away the fine dust around him.

“Are you okay?” Guang-Hong asked.

Georgi whirled around and blinked rapidly to clear his vision. “Oh! Are you a customer?”

“Um… I guess?”

“I’m so sorry for being distracted!” Georgi ran over and shook Guang-Hong’s hand. “I was working on make-up!”

“Make-up?”

Georgi’s face lit up in a proud grin. “Binding has always been confined to the most boring of vaguely human-shaped golems, don’t you agree?”

Guang-Hong blinked, not really following. “Sure.”

“But if you’re binding an item to do your will, why stop with grunt work?” Georgi wrapped an arm around Guang-Hong’s shoulders and brought them over to the worktable now covered in dust. “Consider if you will: _self-applying makeup_.”

With a flourish, Georgi picked up a container with a binding circle applied to it and activated the spell. There was a muted bang and dust flew everywhere. Guang-Hong waved his hands in front of him to clear the air. When he looked over, Georgi’s eyelids were covered in uneven and far-too-thickly applied blue eyeshadow. A mirror was shoved into Guang-Hong’s face, letting him know that it was also applied to him.

“AH!” Guang-Hong coughed. “I-I mean… _wooow_!”

Georgi sighed dramatically. “I know, I know. The application is a bit off, but it’s a work in progress.” He picked up a smaller container and activated it. Black lipstick splattered across the table and coated Georgi’s lips. “Also, the mess.” He snatched the mirror back and assessed himself. “Hmm… Would you say I look better in green?”

“I… think you have one of those complexions, you know? You can pull off anything.”

Georgi gave Guang-Hong a sassy smile. “Well, aren’t you the charmer.” He set down the mirror once more (face down to protect it from further makeup explosions). “What can I interest you in today?”

“I was sent here by a… friend? He said you were the leading expert in complex binding magic.”

The stroke to Georgi’s ego had him puffing up his chest with pride. “Well! I have certainly dedicated my life to it, but _leading expert_! My, how people talk!” Wrapping an arm through Guang-Hong’s he led the way further into the workshop and over to a beautiful woman standing in the corner.

“You can combine elements, you know. First, you must break down the item you wish to bind into its simplest of structures, determine its symbol, and then mix those symbols into a new symmetrical pattern. It is half science and half art.” He waved at a poster that stood behind the woman who was still staring blankly ahead. “I made her with silicone, a dash of water, and a bit of fire to keep her warm.”

Guang-Hong gaped. “That’s a golem?”

Georgi ran a hand lovingly down the golem’s arm. “The spitting image of my true love Anya. I keep it here to remind me of her while I wait until she returns.”

Well that was… a little creepy. Guang-Hong bit his tongue on a comment to that as Leo squeezed his wrist in mild alarm. “I’ve come across a mixed symbol. I was hoping you could decipher it.”

“Oh!” Georgi’s eyes lit up and he pulled them over to a quaint little breakfast table in the corner and pushed Guang-Hong into one of the wrought iron chairs before taking the other. “Show me, show me.”

Guang-Hong pulled out his drawing and slid it over to Georgi who immediately bent over to study it. “This is on my arm, but nobody can see it and it’s undetectable by natural magic.”

“How elaborate! And mixed with a summoning circle as well. The middle symbol is unnatural magic. I imagine that’s why it’s unable to be seen.”

Guang-Hong raised his eyebrows in surprise. Georgi had just broken down the details of the mark in rapid time. “We think that an unnatural magical creature was–”

“Forced into a natural state by the binding circle, yes.” Georgi ran his finger along outer rim of the circle. “This was drawn to contain a massive amount of energy and designed to contain pure life energy, which I suppose is the only way to force an unnatural being into a natural state. As for the unnatural symbol itself, there was no way they could have known it. I imagine it was come upon by accident.”

“Accident?”

“Yes, drawing different symbols over and over, each slightly different, until one of them works. It’s the entire basis of binding magic. That is why it took thousands of years to discover what basics we know. People take such magic for granted. It is far more complex than people give it credit for.”

Guang-Hong had a new respect for the discipline itself after hearing that. “Is there a way to end someone else’s binding?”

“Bindings usually have a time limit, though I see none woven into this one. That could mean it will end with the death of the original magic user, or it is indefinite. In either case, you will need a much stronger nullifier than normal. The usual powders won’t be enough to end this binding.”

“Where can I get that?”

Georgi beamed. “From me! It is the cornerstone of my business, after all.” He stood up and rummaged around in a cabinet close by before walking back over with a vial of something. “Extra concentrated, that. You’ll have to rub it into your skin if that’s where the mark is and likely use the entire bottle. It will sting like a bitch, though.”

Guang-Hong took the bottle and almost dropped it when he was given the price. It would take every last penny he owned… but he’d pay it. For Leo, he’d pay anything. Speaking of. “What will happen to the entity inside the circle?”

Georgi dropped back into his seat with a flourish. “The natural element will disperse back into the earth.”

“What…” Guang-Hong wrapped his hand around the invisible symbol. “He’ll die?”

“More that it will just cease to exist.” Georgi tilted his head. “Do you not want that outcome?”

Leo twined through Guang-Hong’s fingers where they dug into his own skin. “It’s just… it’s not his fault he’s stuck in there. Is there a way to reverse a binding?”

“You don’t know what kind of creature is in there,” Georgi said reasonably, but not without sympathy. “There may have been a reason it was contained. But even if it was just a random guess, releasing it after being in such a state could cause a lot of confused chaos. It could hurt you and anyone around you, even if that is not its rational intention.”

“So you’re saying my option is to just keep him trapped in there or kill him?” Guang-Hong fought off tears. It was so unfair! If someone was just guessing demon symbols just to _experiment_ and Leo got caught up in it, why did he have to continue to live like that? Leo hadn’t done anything to be punished. Leo was a _good_ person. He deserved to live his life!

“Can I ask you why you’re so concerned?” Georgi asked without any judgement, just honest curiosity.

Guang-Hong glanced up at the golem of Anya standing over in the corner and then back to Georgi. “Love.”

Georgi practically melted. “Ah! The heart does many things for love!”

Leo spiraled rapidly up Guang-Hong’s arm and squeezed tight. It was the first time such words had ever been spoken aloud, but Guang-Hong had felt it for a long time. Perhaps people would think he was crazy, but Guang-Hong didn’t care. He was in love with Leo, plain and simple.

Georgi hummed to himself as he considered the paper between them. “If your lover was forced into a natural state by the natural magic of a binding circle, then it would make sense that unnatural magic would return them to an unnatural form.”

Guang-Hong sniffed and wiped at his eyes, getting hopeful again. “What do you mean?”

“Hmm…” Georgi trailed the outline of the summoning circle as he thought about it. “People like to overcomplicate magic, but all the rules are there for us to see if we only look. A demon’s contract requires the symbol to be etched permanently onto your skin. It can only be removed by their will. The summoning circle is temporary and is only there to call them. Binding magic can be nullified by releasing the bind.”

Georgi took hold of Guang-Hond’s arm and pulled it onto the table. He snatched up a stick of eyeliner and drew a simple circle. “A summoning circle drawn with something not permanent.” He tapped the inside of the circle. “The demon’s symbol drawn in something permanent to stand in place of a contract.” He pointed at the vial Guang-Hong still clutched in his hand. “Then you break the binding once the spell is reversed.”

“Will that work?” Guang-Hong could barely get enough breath. Was it all really that simple?

“As I said, we humans like to overcomplicate our magic. Don’t add rules that don’t exist.” He tapped the paper. “Or else you get problems like this.”

Guang-Hong nodded and collected his things to stuff back into his pockets, bottle of painfully expensive concentrated nullification liquid included. “I can’t thank you enough for helping me, Mr. Popovich. For helping both of us.”

“Please! Call me Georgi. We’re friends now.”

That brought a shaky little smile to Guang-Hong’s face as he wiped away the moisture collecting at the corners of his eyes. “Thank you, Georgi.” He went to pull out his wallet in order to plunge himself into debt, but Georgi smacked his hand away.

“No need.” Georgi pulled Guang-Hong to his feet and into a robust hug. “I would never take money from a friend trying to save his true love!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, Georgi...


	3. Chapter 3

 “Don’t do this, Guang-Hong,” Phichit pleaded from across the kitchen table. Phichit had shown up unannounced the day before, in town for a job interview at Ulta Beauty, Potions Division.

Guang-Hong hadn’t been planning to break the curse for another week or so, but when Phichit had arrived he’d made the rash decision to get it done during his friend’s visit. He was pretty sure that he was ready. The biggest obstacle was finding someone he trusted to take care of his affairs in case the worst happened. All of his other friends had been dismissive and had lately been angry with him for being distant. But when he opened his door to Phichit’s friendly face, Guang-Hong knew that he could rely on him.

Phichit had been two years ahead of Guang-Hong in the potioneers program, and they had been close friends and kept in touch since Phichit graduated.

“I have to do this. For myself, but also for Leo. He’s been stuck in there for… I don’t even know how long. He needs my help,” Guang-Hong said.

“But this isn’t even your area! You’re a potioneer. It’s too risky. You should pass him off to someone else who has a better handle on what they’re doing,” Phichit reasoned.

“I don’t know if I can trust anyone else to do this,” Guang-Hong hung his head, tears springing to his eyes. “They might not care about Leo’s safety. And I… don’t want him to get hurt.”

Guang-Hong didn’t voice the jealousy that constricted his throat at the thought of Leo moving on to someone else, living inside of them and making love to them. He released a shaky breath.

“I know,” Phichit said, eyes kind. He took Guang-Hong’s hand. “But you also don’t know if you can trust _him._ You don’t have any way of knowing if he is what he says he is, or what his true intentions are. He’s going to break out of this thing and then what? You don’t know.”

“He won’t hurt me. He never has,” Guang-Hong said, voice shaking as tears escaped from the corners of his eyes. The fact of the matter was that he _was_ afraid. He was terrified. He was scared of what would happen when he broke the curse; would it hurt? Would he die? But no matter the severity of those concerns, his mind always landed on the question: what if Leo didn’t make it?

He’d been practicing the steps of the spell. He had purchased a half dozen temporary tattoo kits, tracing the symbol countless times until he could get the technique steady and within the lines, which was a challenge because he had to use his non-dominant left hand, since the symbol was on his right wrist. Not to mention, the first few times were a complete bust because Leo would respond to the tickling sensation and come out to play. Guang-Hong chastised him, but Leo said he couldn’t help it. It was like a summons, apparently. Guang-Hong was skeptical, but he found that he couldn’t complain too much. Leo eventually settled down and let him trace in peace.

The next part had been the hardest. He’d managed to procure a tattoo gun and the other necessary supplies. He’d never gotten a tattoo before, and he needed to be able to focus through the pain. He had to pick a place on his body that was easy to reach but also not normally visible, since he knew that his attempts were going to be embarrassingly messy.

He disinfected his inner thigh, as high as possible to remain hidden, and set to work. Despite the use of a numbing potion, the first breach of his skin by the needle was startling. Gritting his teeth through the pain, Guang-Hong continued his drawing. He hadn’t made a plan for the tattoo, too impatient to worry too much about what he was committing to, but he realized as he went that he was drawing an ‘L’ without thinking about it. Then an ‘E’, followed by an ‘O’. He was breathing heavily by the time he was finished, his inner thigh a stinging, bloody mess (despite the letters of the tattoo measuring less than an inch in height).

Once he caught his breath, he made to get up from the chair he was sitting on, but stopped when he felt the familiar tingling at his wrist. Leo moved quickly down to his thigh, and before Guang-Hong knew it, he was clean of blood. Leo rested there, massaging the skin gently, easing the burn with cool slickness.

They remained like that for a long while, Guang-Hong content to rest as the adrenaline worked its way out of his system. “I need to keep practicing,” he muttered eventually.

Leo quivered in his lap, causing sensation to ripple to Guang-Hong’s groin, his cock twitching minutely. Leo noticed, apparently, and slid the few inches to his target, setting to work bringing Guang-Hong to full hardness.

“Stop! I need to go again with the tattoo gun!” Guang-Hong protested through giggles that were cut off by a gasp as Leo put pressure against the tip of his cock. It felt almost like a kiss.

Leo pulled away briefly and tapped Morse code into Guang-Hong’s hip: L-E-O.

“Oh,” Guang-Hong breathed, a blush heating his face, “You like that?”

_Tap tap._

“If you let me keep practicing, your name can be etched all over my thighs.”

Apparently that was the wrong thing to say for the goal of focusing, but Guang-Hong was fine with that, as Leo returned to his cock and began to harshly bob up and down, faster and tighter than Guang-Hong could remember he’d ever done. It was the closest it had ever felt to a real blow job with Leo, although the coolness contrasted significantly with the moist heat of a mouth or throat. It was an entirely unique sensation.

Guang-Hong tipped his head back, panting and moaning to the ceiling with abandon. He’d been so tense, nervous about using the tattoo gun, but even though “LEO” was barely legible on his thigh, his Leo seemed to like it. He came with a shout, melting into the chair. Leo milked his cock for all it was worth and then crawled back up to Guang-Hong’s shoulder, nudging him impatiently.

“Give me a minute! You expect me to stick myself with a needle after _that?”_

Eventually, Guang-Hong returned to work, taking it to his other thigh, this time writing Leo’s name in lowercase letters instead of caps. Leo held still at his shoulder, as if surveying Guang-Hong’s progress. It made a warm, fluttery feeling bloom in his chest, knowing that Leo liked these impromptu marks.

Guang-Hong wondered, not for the first time, what would happen after Leo was set free. Would he stay? They hadn’t talked about it, but Guang-Hong figured that tattooing his lover’s name permanently on his skin was as good a sign as any that he hoped desperately that Leo would never leave.

It was this fierce hope that spurred Guang-Hong on, signing Leo’s name to his thighs in all kinds of ways from cursive to block letters, until they were sprinkled there more than a half dozen times, and Guang-Hong could smoothly use the tattoo gun without flinching.

For his final test, he traced and transferred the symbol from his wrist to his right hip, and traced over it with the tattoo gun. Miraculously, he managed to trace it cleanly, though it took a painfully long time. Satisfied and covered in new ink, he deemed himself ready. Leo cleaned him reverently, and Guang-Hong fell into bed, exhausted, with Leo wrapped securely around his shoulders.

“Hey,” Phichit said, shaking Guang-Hong from his reverie. “I still think this is a terrible idea, but I know you, and I know that if you’re determined to do this, there’s nothing I can say that will stop you. So I’m here for you, whatever you need. I’ll help you prepare, but I’ll also be here for you in the aftermath.”

“Thanks, Phichit,” Guang-Hong said, truly grateful. He knew that this whole situation seemed insane. Hell, it _was_ insane. Phichit’s loyalty in spite of it all meant a lot to him.

Phichit agreed to take care of Guang-Hong’s affairs in the event of the worst outcome. Though Phichit wasn’t happy about it, they managed to reach a compromise by which Guang-Hong provided him with the precise location of where he planned to cast the counter-curse, but Phichit reluctantly promised not to follow him there. Phichit insisted that he would check on Guang-Hong if he was gone for more than three days. Guang-Hong agreed—that seemed a reasonable length of time.

Because Phichit was only in town for another five days, Guang-Hong resigned himself to moving ahead with the plan. He’d set out for the countryside tomorrow morning.

“Leo says thank you,” Guang-Hong communicated to Phichit.

“You’re welcome,” Phichit said. “But I’m doing this for you, not him. I don’t trust him. He can earn my trust once this is all over, assuming he doesn’t do anything to piss me off.”

Leo nuzzled against Guang-Hong’s neck.

“He understands. And he’s grateful nonetheless.”

 

~*~

 

_Scared._

Guang-Hong poked at the fire he had going. Behind him was his tent. He had arrived in time to set up, but decided to sleep and do everything the next day once he was well-rested. Then he decided to wait until he was fully awake in the morning. Then he decided it was best to eat something first.

It was well into the afternoon by the time Guang-Hong had pulled out all of his supplies, but still he dawdled. He looked out at the expanse of quiet nature around him, breathed it in, and thought about all the things he still wanted to do in the future. How meaningless those things would feel if Leo left him after today. His fingers lightly caressed over the symbol that had brought Leo into his life.

 _Scared,_ Leo squeezed again.

“I’m not scared,” Guang-Hong said. He was anxious, sure, maybe a bit introspective, but he wasn’t afraid. He was beyond that now.

_Me._

Guang-Hong blinked. “You mean you’re scared?”

_Yes._

Guang-Hong wrapped his hand around the symbol and squeezed. “Because of what everyone is saying? That you might lose control?”

_Yes._

“Do you… Do you still want to do this?”

_No._

“Why?”

_Safer._

Guang-Hong smiled down at the feeling of Leo wrapped around his arms. If Leo was worried about Guang-Hong getting hurt, to the point of staying locked in a spell forever, then that was all the proof Guang-Hong needed to know that Leo was a good person. The spell needed to end, and it needed to end now.

Guang-Hong grabbed the bag of supplies that he needed and brought it over to him, causing Leo to squeeze his shoulders in alarm. “It’s okay. This is going to work. I’ll be right here. We can do this together.”

Carefully, Guang-Hong transferred the temporary tattoo he’d painstakingly created onto his skin to cover the circle that was already there. That was his summoning circle. Now all he had to do was tattoo over Leo’s mark. He rubbed in some numbing potion, set up the gun, and took a deep breath. Leo hummed in what felt like nervousness.

“Just soak up the blood occasionally and help keep my hand steady. We’ll do this together.”

Tattooing a mark of such intricacy took a good deal of time. The numbing potion was wearing off by the time he got near the end of it. He gritted his teeth and kept going, fine trickles of sweat sliding down his back. The sun was setting, casting a warm red glow over the area. Leo slid around the tattoo gun, avoiding the mechanics so it wouldn’t catch on fire, but soothing and clearing away blood as Guang-Hong worked.

“Almost there,” Guang-Hong gritted out, his chest heaving for air. He wondered what exactly would happen once the mark was finished. How would he know when to stop filling in the lines of Leo’s symbol?

As it turned out, the end was fairly obvious.

There was a muted boom of power that launched in all directions from Guang-Hong’s wrist, making the fire in the pit flicker wildly and the flaps of the tent dance in the sudden gust of wind. The feeling of Leo sliding out of Guang-Hong’s skin was intense and crackling. The tendrils of his essence danced in the air, slowly becoming something tangible, something that could be seen, glittering golden in the sunlight.

Guang-Hong held his arm out to give it more room. He looked up and gaped as the ropes of energy wrapped around each other, fusing and morphing into something real. It looked like it was building a person from in the inside out—or rather, building a demon. The structure, organs, and shapes were all strange and unnatural. It was like nothing Guang-Hong had ever seen before.

Then Leo’s throat solidified and his lungs filled. A horrific bellowing scream ripped across the fields. Guang-Hong jumped, and flocks of birds took flight in the distance. His chest seized up as he realized how much it must have hurt to be put back together in such a way, everything so exposed to the elements. Hot tears ran down Guang-Hong’s face.

“Leo! Leo, hold on! It’s almost over!”

Guang-Hong scrambled for the vial he’d need to finish the spell. All he could do was wait and watch as Leo hung in the air, fingers curled and back arched in pain. Giant wings exploded out from Leo’s back, casting a shadow over Guang-Hong. A thick spiked tail whipped around in response to Leo’s agony. Glowing red eyes opened as horns spiraled up from fluttering, glimmering hair. Sharp teeth and fangs formed in Leo’s wide open mouth, still screaming, still gasping for breath.

Something bright flashed like a thread being plucked. Pure white light shot down the invisible thread and tore at Leo’s skin. Leo jerked and writhed as his skin reformed. It happened again and again, the threads plucking and trying to pull Leo back apart. Leo screeched and twisted in the air, trying to escape whatever it was that seemed to be attached to him.

The binding circle! That had to be what it was. “Hold on!” Guang-Hong popped off the cork with his teeth and dumped some of the liquid on his skin. It sank into the still fresh wound of his tattoo and absorbed into his skin. It stung like nothing else Guang-Hong had ever felt. He hissed and his eyes stung, but he ignored it. He knew it was nothing compared to what Leo was going through.

Guang-Hong rubbed frantically at the symbol, scraping off the temporary summoning circle and bit by bit dissolving the original mark. His skin burned, turning red, little blisters popping up as he rubbed harder. He dumped more onto his skin and bit back a shout of pain. He could feel the bits of magic fading away and pulling out of his skin, dissipating into the air. Leo howled the entire time.

Finally, it was gone, only the angry red mark of Leo’s symbol tattooed on his skin. Leo abruptly dropped from the air, landing in a way that had him hovering over Guang-Hong and boxing him in. Leo was still panting for breath, but the screams had stopped. Little wisps of shadows curled up off his golden body. The sunlight made all of him shimmer in reds and golds, his skin sparkling in an unnatural way.

Leo was terrifying to behold. He was big, his features sharp and angled. His hands and feet hooked into claws, the tips of his horns sharp enough to cut. The large wings—embedded with patterns that Guang-Hong recognized from his symbol—drooped to rest on the ground but still surrounded the both of them completely.

The most unnerving part was Leo’s red eyes. They were filled with some dark inner light, sucking up the light of the sun while putting off some kind of faint glow themselves. They were downcast as Leo shuddered through the after effects of what had just happened. A low growl built in Leo’s throat, growing steadily the more clarity returned to those haunting eyes.

When Leo lifted his head, his hair danced on currents of air that didn’t exist, floating around him in an ethereal way. It took Guang-Hong’s breath away. Leo bared his teeth, eyes locking onto Guang-Hong’s, his body tensing like he was prepared to either attack or run.

Both options would leave Guang-Hong broken beyond repair.

“I love you!”

The words were out of Guang-Hong’s mouth before he could even think about it. He didn’t regret it, though. It was the truth. No matter what happened, Leo deserved to know that. They stared at each other in silence, just breathing as the world settled around them. Guang-Hong tentatively reached out placed one hand on Leo’s cheek, meeting no resistance.

“I love you,” he repeated, softer that time, with more feeling behind it. “No matter what you look like, I still love you. I have for a while. I need you to know that.”

Leo shrank. Literally. His body morphed into something smaller and more human-like. The horns shriveled into tiny nubs that hid in his hair. The wings tucked away into thin little things that stuck out of his shoulder blades like a bat’s. The claws softened to fingers and toes and the teeth boxed themselves out into something that would hurt less if touched. The long tail behind him thinned, smoothed out its rough edges, and lost the spikes so that it resembled something akin to a hairless cat tail.

The golden skin stayed. It sparkled in a mesmerizing way. Leo’s eyes faded to something less intense, only a hint of the demon glow—and only, Guang-Hong suspected, if you knew what you were looking for. Guang-Hong looked, because it didn’t bother him. He loved all of Leo. No matter the state.

“You look good like this, too,” Guang-Hong said with a grin.

Leo sniffled, his eyes filled up with tears, and then he tackled Guang-Hong to the ground in a giant hug. Guang-Hong rubbed Leo’s back as the demon sobbed into his shoulder. Leo babbled about how he was afraid of being rejected after his true form was seen, about how sorry he was for scaring Guang-Hong, about how Leo never wanted to force sex on someone. Leo even apologized for melting the vibrator, not knowing it was electrical when he had picked it up.

“I love you!” Leo sobbed. “I thought it was selfish of me, but I did. I do.”

“Good.” Guang-Hong left little kisses along Leo’s temple. “I wanted nothing more than to hear you say that.”

“I don’t want to leave you,” Leo whispered.

Guang-Hong locked his arms down tight around Leo. “I want to stay with you forever.”

One moment they were crying and confessing, the next they were kissing each other breathless. Leo was warm and solid with eager tongue and hands, all of it desperate to taste and touch as much of Guang-Hong as possible. It felt so different from how it had felt with Leo before, but it was not unwanted. It was nice having Leo there, to feel and see and smell. Leo smelled _so_ amazingly good.

Hands slid under Guang-Hong’s shirt to glide across skin and push the garment up and off. Leo didn’t feel like a normal human. His skin was smoother, temperature slightly cooler, and a prickling of electricity was left wherever he touched. Or maybe that last part was just how much Guang-Hong enjoyed it.

“Please,” Leo breathed.

“Yes!”

Guang-Hong tipped his head back to let Leo bite his way down Guang-Hong’s neck. Even though Leo’s teeth were no longer fang-like, they felt sharper and stronger than Guang-Hong expected. The thought of the marks that Leo could leave sent a wave of anticipatory pleasure through Guang-Hong; after all this time having so little evidence of Leo’s presence, the idea of physical proof of their lovemaking was almost overwhelming. Leo tugged at Guang-Hong’s pants, tossing them away in record time. They moaned when their bodies could at last slide against each other without barriers.

“Leo, I want you.”

“Please,” Leo moaned, thrusting his hips against Guang-Hong’s already hard cock. “I need you inside of me.”

Guang-Hong froze. Then blinked. Then turned to see the bashful look on Leo’s face. “Wait… really?”

Apparently, demons could blush. Leo’s shoulders ended up tucked up around his pointed ears. “I like… bottoming…”

“Oh! I mean, that’s fine, it’s fine! I’m just surprised!”

Leo peeked up at Guang-Hong. “Do you have a preference?”

“I like both! I guess I’m just used to being on bottom with you.” He had to laugh a little at that.

Leo’s tail whipped around to hover between them. Guang-Hong watched with wide eyes as the end of it shifted and a tiny slit appeared at the tip. Something wet began to ooze from it. “If… If it doesn’t bother you… We can do both?”

Guang-Hong gaped, thanked the universe for his life, and then nodded excitedly. “Yes! Yes, let’s do that!”

There was something to be said about how nice it was to hover over Leo. Those long, golden legs boxed Guang-Hong in, and Leo’s arms held them close. The look of pure joy and desire aimed up at Guang-Hong made his chest tighten with emotion. Everything was fixed, and they could finally be together.

Leo’s entrance was already slick, his body shifting to Guang-Hong’s needs. It didn’t take much to slide inside. Guang-Hong moaned at the feeling of a warm and wet body gripping his cock tight. The inside of Leo was… _textured._ Was it possible for this to get any more perfect?

The feeling of Leo’s tail pressing against Guang-Hong’s hole answered that question. Guang-Hong moaned and relaxed to help Leo inside, the slick produced by his tail easing the way. Sex with Leo was always different from anything that could ever be predicted, and that was the part Guang-Hong liked the most. It was so intrinsically _Leo._

“I love you,” Guang-Hong murmured, peppering kisses all over Leo’s face. “I love you so much.”

Leo’s tail slid firmly inside, undulating along Guang-Hong’s prostate, which in turn caused Guang-Hong to thrust further into Leo. They both gasped and moaned, pressing their foreheads against each other as they basked in the moment and the feel of each other. Leo’s fingers combed through Guang-Hong’s hair almost reverently.

“I’ll be anything for you,” Leo said, and he meant it.

Guang-Hong smiled and shook his head. “No. I just want you to be you.”

Leo squeezed his eyes shut and sucked in a shaky breath before kissing Guang-Hong again, passionate and full of emotions that weren’t able to be spoken just yet. “Thank you for loving me,” Leo whispered. “Thank you for letting me love you.”

That was about as much as Guang-Hong could take. He started moving, thrusting into Leo only to pull back and impale himself on Leo’s tail. Leo was not a quiet lover. He made the most amazingly lewd noises and cries of pleasure. He moved with Guang-Hong, rocking them together in a way that had them synced perfectly. It was, like it always was with Leo, the best sex of Guang-Hong’s life.

It was definitely _too_ good, sending Guang-Hong spiraling sky high, pleasure burning hot and tight within him. Every thrust sent a bolt of sensation straight through him, filling him up with overwhelming ecstasy. In no time at all he was shaking with release, pouring his seed into Leo who clutched at his shoulders and trembled as well. It was over too soon.

When Guang-Hong was able to focus again, it was to find Leo looking even better. His skin was brighter, eyes clearer, cheeks less hollow and angular. Guang-Hong ran the backs of his fingers along Leo’s cheekbones, mesmerized by the beauty he was seeing.

“So you really are an incubus. You’re feeding off of this just like you were before.”

Leo looked guilty. “This is how I survive… It’s what I am…”

“I know.” Guang-Hong kissed the look off Leo’s face. “It doesn’t bother me. There’s just so much I haven’t been able to ask and to talk to you about.”

Leo trailed his thumb over Guang-Hong’s bottom lip. “Nobody ever tried to communicate with me before. They just assumed I was a curse or a malevolent being and hated me for it. There was nothing I could do… But you never hated me. Not really. I could feel it.”

Guang-Hong nipped at the pad of Leo’s thumb. “Of course I didn’t.”

“Why?”

“What was there to hate? You took care of me. You were always gentle with me. Even though you were stuck, you never took that out on me. Honestly, I don’t think I would have made it to graduation without your support.”

“You distracted yourself far too much worrying about me!” Leo scolded.

Guang-Hong grinned. “As long as I was worrying about you, I wasn’t worrying about test scores. Besides, you’re worth worrying about.”

Leo stared into Guang-Hong’s eyes for a long time. “You said you want to stay with me.”

“I do.”

“That means you’ll always be worrying about me and feeding me—everyday. You know that, right?”

“For the rest of my life.” Just saying it out loud brought a huge smile to Guang-Hong’s face. “I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

Leo moved them, bringing Guang-Hong to sit up on his knees, still impaled on the tip of the tail, as Leo positioned himself so that he was riding Guang-Hong’s cock, which was already filling back out. Life with Leo probably meant having a lot of sex. Guang-Hong was more than okay with that.

Gripping Guang-Hong’s wrist, Leo brought it up to his lips and dropped a kiss over his symbol tattooed on Guang-Hong’s skin. “This isn’t a contract, but it _is_ my name. It holds power over me.”

“What kind of power?” Guang-Hong asked and then sucked in a sharp breath as Leo’s tail began to move inside of him in all the right ways.

“You could trap me again.”

“I would never!”

“You could teach others how to force me into a contract.”

“I wouldn’t!” Guang-Hong insisted.

Leo made eye contact and rolled his tongue over the still sore skin, making Guang-Hong hiss through his teeth. “I know.” Leo’s other hand dropped so he could trace his fingers along the tattoos of his name written in various ways along Guang-Hong’s thighs. “Which is why it’s a different kind of power.”

“What do you mean?” Guang-Hong bit back a moan as Leo started to ride his cock while suckling at the fresh mark on Guang-Hong’s wrist. It felt amazing, but it also _looked_ amazing, watching Leo’s muscular, golden thighs glitter as Leo lifted himself and sunk back down repeatedly.

“It shows that I am bound to you, just like a wedding band.”

That sent a bolt of white hot desire straight up Guang-Hong’s spine. He thrust his hips up hard and watched as Leo’s eyelids fluttered in pleasure. “Then I want my name on you as well.”

Leo moaned and quickened his pace. “I would have power over you.”

“You already do, and I want you to keep it.”

Guang-Hong dragged Leo down into a kiss. His hair was like fine silk, and his mouth tasted like honey. Guang-Hong would never be satisfied with a human ever again. So it was fitting that they be bound together, that that own each other. There was nothing he wanted more. He was happy being tied to Leo always.

Their second coupling was slow and loving, riding on waves of pleasure and drowning in one another. They couldn’t stop touching each other, so happy to be physical with one another at last. Guang-Hong didn’t hold back in speaking out loud just how perfect everything was and how much he loved how Leo looked and who Leo was. Leo quickly figured out that his voice alone was enough to affect Guang-Hong in visceral ways. Hearing Leo speak or moan or whimper was a novelty that would take a long time to wear off.

Once every last bit of orgasm was wrung from Guang-Hong they lay tangled in each other’s arms, talking just for the sake of it, trying to make up for the long months of enforced silence. Guang-Hong got antsy and insisted on tattooing his name on Leo right then and there. Leo was more than happy to allow it.

That led to yet another round of sex. Guang-Hong was certainly getting a workout, but watching Leo look a little healthier each time was worth it. They cuddled up under the stars, joyous and content. Everything was just so blissfully perfect. Guang-Hong couldn’t stop the constant smile splitting his face.

“Are you really that happy to be bound to a demon?” Leo asked, voice soft with a hint of uncertainty that he was attempting to cover with humor.

“I’m happy to be bound to _you_ ,” Guang-Hong clarified. “The demon thing is just a really awesome bonus.”

Leo chuckled and squeezed Guang-Hong a little closer. “I’m happy, too.”

“If I’m being honest, I think I might actually miss the weird tentacle thing,” Guang-Hong blushed when he said it and giggled at the surprise on Leo’s face. “You were very good at what you did.”

Leo worried at his bottom lip as his tail came into view. “I can shape myself to your will, you know.” In so saying, Leo’s tail split into three and warped into a more physical representation of what Guang-Hong had been feeling for months. Gooey substance dripped from the soft, tentacle-like appendages that curled around each other as they hovered over Guang-Hong.

It should have been impossible after hours of lovemaking, but Guang-Hong was already getting hard. His face very clearly showed his arousal. “Oh… Wow…”

“Do you like it?” Leo asked, still nervous.

Guang-Hong nodded rapidly. “Yes. Yes, yes. Very much so.”

“Just tell me what you like and I can probably find a way to accomplish it. I mean, other than the vibrator, but I promise I’ll buy you another–”

Leo’s fretting was cut off by a soft humming sound. They both looked down in shock at Leo’s dick as it buzzed away, slightly blurred around the edges. Leo screamed, which made Guang-Hong jump and scream, and then they both looked at each other and shouted again. It was fairly obvious that Leo was not expecting to pull off this particular trick.

“Did you absorb the ability of my vibrator when it melted?” Guang-Hong asked once they had calmed down some.

“I don’t know! I… This isn’t supposed to happen!” Leo poked at his dick in dismay.

Guang-Hong tilted his head as he contemplated it and then burst out laughing. He pushed Leo onto his back and then climbed on top. “Well…” Guang-Hong smirked as he lined himself up. “I’m not complaining.”

Leo’s now-goopy tails wrapped themselves around Guang-Hong in all the ways he loved as he sank down with a moan. They grinned at each other and laughed at the oddity of it all, but really, that was just par for the course now. Guang-Hong looked forward to whatever new adventures came their way.

For now and forever, they would face it all together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>   
> 
> 
>  
> 
> Imaginary Dragonling drew us a concept design for Leo's symbol! I looooove it! Check out their tumblr here:  
> https://imaginarydragonling.tumblr.com/
> 
> This has been an amazing project to work on! I hope you guys enjoyed the ride. ^.^ And I hope you are excited about the stories of the other skaters we'll be exploring in this universe. hehe
> 
>  
> 
> (I have spoken to this artist, discussed this with them, have permission from them to show this picture, have permission to talk about this picture, have permission to note and link to the artist who drew it, and am in continuous contact with this artist. Thank you.)

**Author's Note:**

> Our beta reader for the group was the amazing Sanii who kept up hype, offered great ideas, and was sweating as our word count just kept growing. XD
> 
> Special thanks to Imaginary Dragonling who offered art for this and that will show up in the final chapter. Also to GeekMom13 and Smolkristen for helping brainstorm certain scenes and offering amazing commentary. ;-p
> 
> Kateli and Vixen have decided to kept working together and turn this into of varying stories within this world! We both love it so very much! <3 I hope you look forward to it!
> 
>  
> 
> https://ice-tiger-kitten.tumblr.com/  
> http://archiveofourown.org/users/Saniika  
> http://saniika.tumblr.com/  
> http://thatvixenchick.tumblr.com


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